Archive for December 2015
Coast Guard: Hazardous Containers Off the San Francisco Coast
Professional Mariner reports that the U.S. Coast Guard is urging mariners to use caution around the San Francisco coast, as recovery teams are searching for missing containers from a cargo ship that may be hazardous. According to the news outlet, the containers were lost from a ship in the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, west…
Read MoreWhen is the New Deadline for Filing El Faro Lawsuits?
According to the Florida Times-Union, a court ordered lawsuit deadline for family members of the El Faro disaster has been extended to February 19, 2016. Originally, the court ordered a deadline of December 21. However, it found that this date did not give parties enough time to prepare claims. The new deadline was requested by…
Read MoreAre Cruise Ship Pools Safe?
In July, a 4-year-old boy nearly drowned, suffering critical injuries, following an incident involving a cruise ship pool. The boy was on a family vacation when he was “swept under” a pool aboard the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. It is believed that he was underwater for an estimated five to 10 minutes. The…
Read MoreBaltimore Man Indicted for Fatal Boat Accident
CBS News Baltimore reports that a man has been charged in connection to a boat accident that occurred over the summer that left two women dead. The accident occurred when a recreational boat slammed into a pillar at the Key Bridge. The crash allegedly injured six passengers, in addition to killing the two women aboard.…
Read MoreEl Faro Families Fight Petition for Limitation of Liability
According to First Coast News, the legal battle between the operators of the El Faro, which sank during Hurricane Joaquin this fall, and family members of its victims is heating up. A court imposed deadline was set in Florida for today for family members to file lawsuits. Sadly, all 33 crewmembers who were aboard the…
Read MoreWoman Falls Overboard Cruise Ship During Dance Party
CNN reported that rescue workers were attempting to find a woman off the coast of Cuba last month who went overboard during a cruise ship dance party. The woman allegedly fell from the deck of the Norwegian Pearl, 22 miles off the coast of Cuba. Officials with the cruise line said in a statement that…
Read MoreShark Attack Blamed on Drunken Charter Instructor
Courthouse News Service reports that a filmmaker who was mauled by a shark has filed a lawsuit in San Diego, accusing a charter boat dive instructor of drawing her into being bait by being intoxicated. The lawsuit was in a federal court in November, accusing a dive instructor, as well as Mako Shark Diving and…
Read MoreShould the El Faro Search Continue?
According to the Florida Times-Union, since the search for remains of the El Faro container ship was suspended in November, a crewmember’s wife has asked publicly for another one to begin. The newspaper reports that the Jacksonville woman, whose husband is presumed to have died along with the 33 crewmembers, is preoccupied with resuming a…
Read MoreDid Alcohol Play a Role in Fatal Texas Boat Accident?
Officials have discovered that alcohol was involved in a deadly Lake Austin boat accident in Texas. KXAN-TV reports that a Texas Parks & Wildlife preliminary investigation indicates that alcohol, including partially consumed liquor bottles, were found aboard the boat following the accident, which took place on October 11. The crash killed two people, including a…
Read MoreDredging Accident: What is the Seaman’s Manslaughter Act?
WLOX-TV reports that a Louisiana company has admitted that it did not properly mark a dredge operation near Deer Island, Mississippi, leading to the death of a residential boater. The news outlet reports that C.F. Bean, LLC has pleaded guilty to the statute commonly referred to as the Seaman’s Manslaughter Act. With the plea, the…
Read MoreEl Faro’s Sister Ship Involved in Maritime Incident
According to the Bangor Daily News, the sister ship of the El Faro, which sank near the Bahamas in October during Hurricane Joaquin, drifted for several hours recently after losing power during a voyage. The news outlet reported that the North Star, also owned by TOTE Maritime, lost power on November 24, as it sailed from…
Read MoreWho is Responsible if a Piling Led to My Boating Accident?
After a piling caused a boat accident that left a man injured, he is suing a half dozen oil and gas companies because he claims their negligence led to the wreck. According to The Louisiana Record, in June 2014, the man had taken his skiff out fishing near Four Island Dome, Louisiana when it was…
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